Observations about the Turntable forum

[Aerobat]

Or a third possibility, that they don't know any different. The average person is only exposed to crosley and maybe a budget AT, turntables aren't something to stumble across in the mall anymore. They see records at Walmart, they want a table. The new, inexpensive, accessible options don't require anything else to play a record, why look any farther? Why seek something you don't know exists?

I just asked an AI what's a good TT for a college student and it went with an AT LP60X, XBT, or U-Turn Orbit basic. It provided plenty of articles and reviews for more expensive models and said to avoid the cheap suitcase stuff.

 

[loudnoises]

I just asked an AI what's a good TT for a college student and it went with an AT LP60X, XBT, or U-Turn Orbit basic. It provided plenty of articles and reviews for more expensive models and said to avoid the cheap suitcase stuff.

What did ai say last year? 3 years ago? 10 years ago?

Oh right...

The timetable of which we talk makes the availability of Ai today irrelevant.

 

[Aerobat]

What did ai say last year? 3 years ago? 10 years ago?

Oh right...

The timetable of which we talk makes the availability of Ai today irrelevant.

For a vintage table for a college student it recommended something like an SL-D2 or Q2 and referenced a bunch of articles. I don't see what the issue is.

 

[Azimuth]

I was thinking that people who just want to buy a turntable and get a few records for it’s “cool” factor are probably satisfied with what they have bought and, as long as it works, will live with it. Research into the whys and wherefores of turntables and audio would not interest them. I see this when I visit the homes of young relatives. They have something cheap and cheerful, thankfully not Crosley, and love it. But they would never think if technical matters or looking at Audiokarma or a Facebook page.

 

[Azimuth]

When I got “back” into “vinyl,” (which I then knew as records, albums, or LPs,) is the early 2000s, I had a cheap plastic CEC turntable already, and I had little knowledge about it or the world of turntables. To me, one was the same as another and did the same thing. I couldn’t tell one cartridge from another. In the 60s and 70s, in high school and university, turntables were utilitarian and provided music for parties. We rarely cleaned records and put a penny on the tonearm if something didn’t work. A few guys/girls might have had something good their parents had bought or knew the better brands, but it was not even a topic. So when I renewed my interest I was in my early 50s and still clueless. I did know that Technics were a good brand and that they were direct drive, so I randomly bought one on the auction site with no research. To me, they were all the same. Then a miracle happened. The seller packed it perfectly and it was an SL Q2, which is still a treasure. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked perfectly and still does 25 years later. It had a Shure M97HE cartridge I knew nothing about. A new (generic) stylus cost more than my old cheap AT one, which I did not understand. But you could still buy them in a store. The cart was poorly set in the Headshell, but it worked. A few searches led me to AK and my life changed. I reset everything, cleaned records, bought accessories, and appreciated music. I even found used cartridges and bought new ones. And the turntable cost about $50! Today, few deals like this exist and most new tables have no auto-return and are simple belt drives. They hold no interest for me. I am still buying new records and styli, even an occasional cartridge. A great journey I am still on, thanks, in part, to the people here then and now.

 

[jrtrent]

I was thinking that people who just want to buy a turntable and get a few records for it’s “cool” factor are probably satisfied with what they have bought and, as long as it works, will live with it. Research into the whys and wherefores of turntables and audio would not interest them. I see this when I visit the homes of young relatives. They have something cheap and cheerful, thankfully not Crosley, and love it. But they would never think if technical matters or looking at Audiokarma or a Facebook page.

For me, it was the library, or I suppose I should say several libraries, that was the source of my information. Long before I was actually able to acquire a camera, a stereo system, or a 10-speed bicycle, I spent years reading books and periodicals about them. Some, perhaps justifiably, said they thought I liked reading about them better than actually owning and using them.

 

[malden]

I was hooked on records, turntables, speakers and tape decks at a very early age. Everything I had was used, either hand-me-downs, bought at thrift stores or found at the curb. As a teen, I would spend hours at the library looking through back issues of High Fidelity magazines. My bedroom was where I took audio gear apart and would attempt to repair whatever I found. I was a regular at a local used record store where I would buy and trade-in records weekly.

Regarding the turntable forum, I don't get involved anymore in the minutia many here fuss over. I'm happy to help someone get the best out of their turntable but when a noob, or whoever starts talking about things like "shibata" or other over-hyped aspects of turntables, overlooking the basic qualities that make for a solid record playing system, I now simply keep scrolling.

 

[OBMG74]

Or a third possibility, that they don't know any different. The average person is only exposed to crosley and maybe a budget AT, turntables aren't something to stumble across in the mall anymore. They see records at Walmart, they want a table. The new, inexpensive, accessible options don't require anything else to play a record, why look any farther? Why seek something you don't know exists?

Not much different than in the 70’s.

Buy an all-in-one unit from
Sears on sale, hook it up and play records.

Guessing that the majority? of us on AK who monkey with old and high-end new tables are older and tinkerers.